Keirina's Journal
Before I never wanted a wedding. The girls in my camp always dreamed about them, who would be married to the wealthiest man, who would have the most extravagant party, what domestic skill would be the most useful for when they had a house to clean. I didn’t understand why they were so eager to become slaves for the rest of their lives, though it’s not like we weren’t treated that way already. At an early age the girls are taught how to keep a household, cook, clean, answer to everyone else’s request. It was like something out of a twisted fairytale. Perhaps the girls in my village were looking for a prince to come save them. I didn’t want to be saved, I wanted out. My wedding was nothing like what the girls in the village had imagined. There was no dancing, no party, no feast. It was more like a meat auction, but instead of pigs being sold off, it was wives. The man who I was “engaged” to was the wealthiest bidder. I guess I win, ladies. If you want to call it that. For everything he had in wealth he lacked in looks, height, and kindness. He did not see me as a person. He saw me as a servant who he could play dress up with, then use to fulfill his fantasies. Sure, I was given many fine jewels and dresses, but what he made me do in them I do not wish to repeat. Stephanus had a temper. If I did not do what he asked, he would throw things at me. If I didn’t do it fast enough, I earned a slap to the face. If I didn’t do it the right way, no food for the night. When he was happy he called me his “little doll.” Tend the fire, little doll. Where’s my breakfast, little doll. Bend over and let me in. No fighting back, little doll, or I’ll break your little arm. Dolls do not feel. Dolls do not talk back. Dolls don’t plot to kill. I did it a few days after our year anniversary. I was married to that monster for a year. Now I’m a widow. And a murderer. I’m free from him. But I was not free from the city. I had to get out of there fast. And the fastest was of travel in Lancerus is by boat. So I found one. I had been scoping the docks for a few days before the murder, listening. Who was leaving soon, where were they going, and who was most likely to let a woman travel with them? That’s how I found Mugsby. He was a wine merchant who was going to Lindala. Not only was he leaving the soonest, but Lindala was also the furthest away from Arn that any other merchant was traveling. To add to the allure, I’d always wanted to see the elves. Nola Mugsby was looking for sailors. I was no sailor, but I had money. I met him in the pub one night after Stephanus had drunk himself into a deep slumber. I knew he wouldn’t stir till morning. Armed with a bag full of gold and jewels, I made my case. His biggest concern was not my gender, but why I was covered in bruises. I told him if he let me on the voyage I would tell him my story, and that there would be more payment later. I eventually found out it was not so much the payment that secured my passage, it was Mugsby’s kind soul. And his daughter. Her name was Nola. She passed away a few years before. She would have been my age. “You have her eyes” he told me once. Then he gave me her old room. I told him I didn’t want it, that I wanted to earn my place on the ship like everyone else. He insisted. So did I. What finally convinced me to take his offer was the night another sailor tried to get frisky with me under cover of dark. It reminded me too much of home, and this time I was not afraid to fight back. So I broke his nose and ended up with my own sleeping quarters. When we docked and continued the journey on land, I got to use his caravan. It was during my sleepless nights that Mugsby taught me how to read and write. He did not sleep well either, and enjoyed books. He would read when he couldn’t sleep and noticed me awake one night. When I told him I hadn’t been allowed to learn how to read and write e decided it was his job to teach me. The book he used was Nola’s favorite. Over the few weeks of the voyage he became a father figure to me, and I like a daughter. When we made it to Lindala he was curious what my plan was. I still had some money, I told him, but I didn’t have much of a plan. He couldn’t just let me wonder around aimlessly, so he found me a guardian, a friend of his,Havvel, who owned a local tavern called the Crimson Keg. I was his daughter, Nola, he told Havvel. It was Havvel’s job to raise me and look after me until I was old enough to find a job and take care of myself. Ideally, a job at the tavern. I worked at that Tavern under the name Nola until a handsome stranger wandered in one day with promise of adventure and honor. His name was Sinthaster. The Darkmoon Saints